That is too funny :laugh
I might have to sit this one out. It makes my shins hurt just thinking about it!!

This line in the story caught my attention:
"In 2004, more than 2,500 people turned up to watch the Olimpicks, which feature other rural challenges such as tug-of-war, sledgehammer throwing and Spurning the Barre, a Cotswold version of tossing the caber."

I am curious what "spurning the barre" is, but I have never heard of "tossing the caber"!? Maybe you have to be from that part of the world...

06-09-2008, 10:00 AM

Newfherder

Re: Shin-Kicking

Tossing the caber is a Scottish sport where burly men heave long, heavy poles. An ideal toss is one where the caber flips end-for-end and lands pointing straight out from the tosser.

We just went to the Scottish games and the announcer was saying that some of these athletics were so "the chief of the clan could get a chance to see which men were the strongest so he could utilize them in battle. While the hammertoss could have military uses, they saw no real military usage for the caber toss" :lol
Mostly it was a test of strength.